Picture Time! Safari Uganda

On the 4th day of me being in Africa we went on a Safari to Murchison Falls. We left our hotel at 6 in the morning and came back to our hotel at 8 in the evening, man it was a long day but it was totally worth it.

(A water-hog I think)

(Our tour guide)
 

(Snake headed lizard)

(School of hippos)

(River Nile)

Have you ever been on a safari?
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My 11 things to do this summer!

Summer is very slowly approaching so I thought I would write a list of my 10 things that I'm to do this summer(well that's if we get one anyway!) some of these aren't very interesting but hay-ho I included them in anyway.

1. Get a couple of friends together and chill out in a park, harbour or on the beach.

(Harbour Festival 2011)

2. See all my friends that I never had time to because of being so busy with sixth form and work.

3. Go camping with friends either in a back garden or in a caravan park.

4. Take a photo everyday and document it at the end of summer. I often print out the best photos and stick them on my wall.

5. Have as many caramel frappuccinos as I can get my hands on, I freaking love them and are my favourite iced beverage.

6. This stems on from number 1 but go to the beach as summer wouldn't be summer without the feeling of sand in between my toes and having a stick of rock and spending my money on coin machines.

7. This is a random one but have a bus day, get on loads of buses and venture out to new places and get lost along the way.

8. Have a movie night, nothings better than chilling with a couple of friends and watching movies all night.

9. Give yourself a makeover either being changing your hairstyle, dyeing your hair, experimenting with new clothes or make-up etc.

10. Go to a water park or theme park.

11. Have a BBQ.

These are my 10 things to do this summer, what are yours?
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Barry M Nail Paint in 'Silvery Lilac'

Today I'm reviewing Barry M's 'Silvery Lilac-324'. I bought it as I have wanted to try a duo-chrome nail polish and all Barry M nail stuff was on for 3 for 2 at Superdrug and like a koala to a tree I couldn't resist it.

It is this lovely shimmery silver and lilac, and in some light it's almost a green/teal colour, it also has little flecks of silver. Two-three coats should give you a good solid colour as the polish is quite sheer. The drying time is fairly quick considering you need a couple of coats to get an opaque colour and the application is good too. With help from the flecks of silver it dries with a shine so you don't necessarily need a top coat but to help with its staying power you could add a top coat.

It didn't chip for a good 3-5 days(with top coat) which for me is bonus as I find painting my nails a tedious job but it does make a difference when your nails are painted.

You can buy it from the Barry M website, Superdrug or Boots.

What are your favourite nail polishes?
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Barry M's Lipstick in 'Touch of Magic/ Magic Tom'

Today I'm reviewing Barry M's Touch Of Magic. I'm sure most of you have heard of it or know about it.It's definitely a favourite of mine and I love it so much. I know it's a lipstick but I would call it more of a lip stain as the colour stays on my lips for so long.

You've probably seen the colour and thought 'green lipstick' why would anyone wear that?! But this is where the fun part comes in. The lipstick works by changing colour depending on the alkaline levels on your lips. If you have a high alkaline level on your lips it will turn into a bright pink and if you have low alkaline levels on your lips it will be a paler pink. Because each person has a different alkaline level on their lips the colour varies and will suit almost everyone.

As you can see it turns into a bright fuchsia pink on my lips, it's a bit brighter in real life than camera is showing. If you want a subtle pink you only need one coat but if you want a bright intense colour you will have to apply a few coats. It does last a long time but you will have to reapply during the day/evening. It doesn't crack or bleed. The good thing about this lipstick is that's waterproof and it contains Aloe Vera, so it doesn't dry out the lips, win. Although, when it says waterproof it means waterproof it took me a while to get it off from my lips and hand.

I did try to swatch it on the back of my hand but it came out a really pale pink and my camera didn't pick the colour up

You can buy Barry M's Touch of Magic from Barry M's website, Superdrug and Boots. RRP £4.49

What do you think of this lipstick? 

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The Wanderlust tag

I decided to do this tag after watching Estée's video, I've been to a quite a few places and thought this tag would be a good one to do. I tag you all. 

1. Your most treasured passport stamp?
Ooh. that's tricky, probably my Singapore one after I picked up my passport on the day of flying there.

2. Can you recite your passport from memory if asked? 

No, there is too much important things to remember nowadays like phone numbers, passwords, pins etc..

3. Preferred method of travel; planes, trains or automobiles?

I like planes because they have mini TV's and the food is okay but halfway through the flight I have a fear of the plane crashing. Although I do like trains as they are just cool especially for the scenery, when I was in Switzerland on my way to Jungfrau the views were immense. I don't mind travelling by car/coach but I would prefer not to as I tend to get travel sick. 

4. Top 3 travel items?

Camera to capture the memories, Notebook to jot down how something smelt, the atmosphere etc or to express something that pictures couldn't and food/drink to give you energy.

5. Hostel or hotel?

I prefer hotels as you get your own room and bathroom but I like hostels too, I've only ever stayed in one hostel which was in New York and it was so nice, it was in a great location too. I also met some amazing people.

6. Are you a repeat visitor or do you explore new places?

I would prefer to explore as much of the world as I can but it depends on what the place has to offer, like I think I've only seen half of New York so I would go back to see the rest.

7. Do you read up on your destination (culture, history,safety) or do you wing it?

Yes, I become obsessed with it, I spend hours on end reading up on the place.

8. Favourite travel website?

Trip Advisor and random travel blogs that I come across.

9. Where would you recommend a friend to visit? Name city & why?

New York, It's just an amazing place to go. It's suitable for everyone. There are so many restaurants, bars, shops, tourist attractions etc.

10. You're leaving tomorrow, money is no option, where are you going?A huge tour of Europe, I'd go to France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Macedonia etc..

What are your favourite countries?

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Topshop Nail Polish in 'Bees Knees' and 'Air Kisses'

Today I'm going to talk about Topshop Nail Polish. I only have two, I have an almost sky blue 'Air Kisses' and a pastel yellow 'Bees Knees'. Firstly, the packaging for their make up brand is so cute and I've always wanted to try out the nail polish.

I'm not really a big fan of bright colours but I thought I would venture out of my comfort zone and buy these two. Topshop's yellow looked like a pastel colour in the bottle but on my nails it was a bright pastel colour, which I was hasty about but I've actually grown to love it. 

I've been searching for a really nice blue for ages now and I stumbled across 'Air Kisses' and I fell in love with it straight away, it is such a pretty colour and it will be good for the spring and summer season.

The application was really quick and easy it didn't have a tiny brush like some polishes but it didn't have a fat brush where it made application tricky.

The formula of this polish is pretty good, although you do need two coats for the colour to really pop but if you got the application spot on I think it could take you only one coat. Also Topshop have an amazing selection of colours and I think currently there is a deal on, it might be two for £10. The only downside to the polish is that it takes at least 10 minutes for it to dry completely, which isn't ideal for people who like to rush and use their hands a lot.

They manage to stay on my nails for about 2-3 days chip-free without using a top coat but with using a good quality top coat I got an extra 2-3 day wear out of them. They are fairly inexpensive considering the quality of them, and they retail for £5-6. 

Do you own any Topshop nail polishes? What's you're favourite colour of polish?

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Simple Purifying Cleansing Lotion, Soothing Facial Toner and Replenishing Rich Moisturiser

Today I'm reviewing three products from Simple from their Kind to skin range:

The Purifying Cleansing Lotion, Soothing Facial Toner and Replenishing Rich Moisturiser

My skincare routine was quite bad before using these products I would only ever use a facial scrub and face mask when I needed it or I wanted a pick me up, bearing in mind I had quite good skin up until last September when I started to break out really easily and my skin looked awful. So I went and bought some Simple products I'm not sure why I bought them but the range caught my eye. They seemed straight forward about what's in them and how it helps the skin.

When I wore make up I never used a proper make up remover I would only ever use face wipes as they were so convenient and quick to use but since finding out that they were bad for my skin.(high levels of preservatives, alcohol and anti-bacterial agents to keep them usable, the harsh chemicals irritate the delicate eye area, bad for the environment etc.) I stopped using them regularly but I do still use them when I go camping as my skincare routine gets a bit mixed up and I never have enough time to use a cleanser, toner, moisturiser.

The Simple Purifying Cleansing Lotion makes my skin feel so good and fresh. I usually apply it with a cotton pad and use a grape size amount and wiping away from my face. I saw instant results with using this, my skin looked so much cleaner and I could see all the gunk from my face on the cotton pad. It has quite a thick consistency to it, which I see it as a good thing as it stays on the pad and it makes it easier to apply. It's also really good for removing eye make up as well.

The soothing facial toner makes my skin feel refreshed and tightened. I apply it in the same way as the cleanser. When I apply it in the morning it makes me skin feel ready and awake for that day, and at night it makes my skin feel really clean.

The replenished rich moisturiser makes my skin feel so smooth. As with all of the Simple products it's odourless. It is thick and white but becomes colourless when applied onto the skin and it takes 5-8 minutes for it to sink into the skin. I'd recommend this product for the winter months and overnight as it gives a deep moisturisation. I think for when it gets warmer you will only need the light hydrating moisturiser.

After a week of using all these products I could definitely see a difference in my skin and people were commenting saying how good it looked. I love these products so much as using these have helped me to see that a skincare routine does make a big difference to your skin and that it is important.

These products are amazing and I'm thinking of getting the Spot Zapper, Eye Make-Up Remover and the Light Hydrating Moisturiser.

What are your favourite Simple products?
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Picture Time! Singapore and Borneo

I thought I would share some of my pictures from Singapore and Borneo with you all.

(Singapore airport)

(View from my Aunties apartment in the condo)

(I think this is a museum of art but I'm not sure)

(Marina Bay Sands Hotel.The top is shaped like a boat and it has a swimming pool on top. At night it does laser shows which are so good!)

(The F1 grandstand. I've also walked on their track)

(1 Altitude, it's a bar/restaurant and it's like a mini Empire state building the views are amazing)

(Gardens by the Bay, any garden lovers dream)

(Singapore Flyer)

(Mum, Me and my Auntie)

(50 metre swimming pool in my Auntie's condo)

(Cable car to Sentosa)

(Merlion, mascot of Singapore and there are five in Singapore)

(Sarawak Forestry, home of the orangutans. The name 'orangutan is derived from malay words 'orang' means people and 'hutan' means forest translating to 'people of the forest')

( The pool at our accomodation)

(I missed every time of getting a shot of a dolphin but this is as close as I'm ever getting)

(The secluded beach, it was so peaceful there, I also burnt like a mother!)

(Permai Rainforest Resort is an amazing resort to go to, it has a beach, free roaming monkeys, cafe, recreational activities and training activities both are done on land and water.My family and I went dolphin watching and to Satang Island, which was AMAZING I'd literally recommend that to everyone )

(The beach in Permai Rainforest Resort)

Thanks for reading! If you want me to do a detailed blog about what I did there then let me know.

Sam x

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